Customer Reviews

Ethiopiques 11

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This is a disc of Amharic religious and paraliturgical song traditionally performed during the Great Fast (Lent) in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The songs would be sung at family gatherings, coffee ceremonies, etc., to maintain a sense of religious devotion during the fasting period. It is therefore very quiet and meditative music, just voice and harp. This could be a wonderful experience for those who are not aware of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and her spiritual tradition.

This disc is unique in the Ethiopiques series and might not appeal to performers with more Western influences like Alemayehu Eshete or Mahmoud Ahmed. It's a totally great experience of a different kind, though. The harp Alemu Aga plays sounds nothing like the Western orchestral instrument: it's low, buzzy, and very warm sounding, more like a cross between a bass and a bassoon. The vocals are low and whispery, closely following (or followed by) the harp. It really sounds like nothing else I can think of. The tracks sound very much like one another; there are no evident hooks or riffs, but the result is never boring. This CD and Joanna Newsom's The Milk-Eyed Mender, in very different ways, have really opened my eyes to the possibilities of the harp.

As well described by another reviewer as "low, buzzy and warm" this soothing sound is unique and sticks in your consciouness. It's subtle and satisfying.

'The Harp of King David' from Alemu Aga is unlike any other recording I have heard. The sensation of lying alone beneath a sky saturated with stars, eyes closed, with the original psalmist whispering in your ear accompanied by an instrument so unfamiliar as to transport you into the realm of sleep. All this for the price of a CD; what a wonderful world I live in.